AYUSH mission launched on Monday

After the Centre unveiled the National AYUSH Mission (NAM) to promote the Indian system of medicine in the country in September last year, Odisha finally launched its own on Monday.Updated: August 17, 2015, 12:49 IST

BHUBANESWAR: After the Centre unveiled the National AYUSH Mission (NAM) to promote the Indian system of medicine in the country in September last year, Odisha finally launched its own on Monday. The state missed two earlier dates on June 21 and July 30 for separate reasons.

Health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said the state would use the mission to popularize the traditional medicine system easing the burden on mainstream healthcare system. "The ayurvedic and homoeopathic medical colleges and hospitals in the state will be strengthened. Tapping AYUSH (ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoeopathy) would help offer better healthcare in vulnerable and remote areas," he said.

After the Union Cabinet cleared the NAM proposal, the ministry of ayush (MoA) had asked all the states to implement the scheme. The Centre and state would share the funds for the scheme in 75:25 ratio.

Government sources said the state is eyeing to strengthen the three ayurvedic and four homoeopathic medical colleges in the state. It would recruit AYUSH doctors through Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) and post them in areas where allopathic doctors' shortage is more acute.

The government would also strive to prepare ayurvedic and homoeopathic formulations in the state itself. At present, the state government is buying the medicines from outside the state due to non-availability of raw materials. The AYUSH department has been planning to augment medicinal plant gardens at Harishankar in Balangir district and another in Mayurbhanj district.

Under the centrally-sponsored scheme, the state is planning to establish AYUSH villages in each of the 314 blocks. These villages would train people at the panchayat level, popularize AYUSH and offer health services.

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A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao passed the order while acting on a PIL filed by Delhi-based dermatologist Zaheer Ahmed who complained that lakhs of medicines were being sold on the internet every day without much regulation, posing a huge risk to patients and doctors alike.